Leadership

President

Karen Zimmer

Karen has lived and worked on small farms in Rhode Island and Ohio and has hiked the Trust’s trails since she moved to Connecticut in 1988. She is a retired registered nurse, having specialized in mental health and addiction settings. Karen has experience as secretary to the board of the CT chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Vice President

Paul Pribula

Paul is a retired IT project manager who became an avid hiker, backpacker and whitewater kayaker after transplanting to Connecticut from the south side of Chicago in the seventies. Paul brings a wide array of skills to the Trust including organizational and communications skills from his former professional career, land conservation experience from his past work with the Willington Conservation Commission as member and chair, and technical skillsets via training and experience with Geographical Information System (GIS) and GPS software and hardware.

Treasurer

Gail Bruhn

Gail is a retired investment professional who sits on the Advisory Council of the Hartford CFA Society. She has used her financial skills to help a number of non-profits, including the EO Smith Foundation and the CT Horticultural Society. A Delawarean by origin, Gail lives in Storrs with her husband Tom, who is retired from the University of Connecticut. They were the original tenants of the Wilbur Cross house, following Joshua’s Trust’s purchase of the Gurleyville Gristmill. Trails along the Fenton River remain favorites of their three sons when they visit with their families.

Secretary

Nancy Silander

Nancy has been a member of Joshua’s Trust since moving to Mansfield over 40 years ago. Since retiring from E. O. Smith she has volunteered at the Trust in various capacities, and is currently chair of the Education and Outreach Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee. Her appreciation of the environment, and of the importance of protecting open space, began as a Girl Scout, and has been reinforced while living in the Northeast.

Our Staff

Executive Director

Michael Hveem

Mike joined the Trust as Executive Director in 2015, after three years with The Avon, a nonprofit historic film theater in Stamford and his prior career with the investment firm Royce and Associates. Before becoming executive director, Mike was no stranger to Joshua’s Trust. He has been a member since 2001 when he was an undergraduate at the University of Connecticut. Mike looks forward to growing the Trust and another 50 years of preservation for Northeastern Connecticut.

Volunteer Coordinator

Andy Woodcock

Andy lived in the White Mountains, South County, RI, the Acadia region and the north shore of Massachusetts before settling in the Willimantic River Valley 30 years ago. He believes conserving and enjoying, the forests, meadows, streams and historic rock walls in our beautiful backyard attracts volunteers with an endless stream of skills to Joshua’s Trust. Join us. There is always room for more, a need for you and your skills.

Finance Administrator

Joyce Fountain

Joyce was born and raised in Connecticut’s Quiet Corner; Joyce’s passion for land conservation developed as she spent her childhood exploring the woodland trails of New England. Her love of all things botanical fueled her to achieve multiple degrees in Environmental Archaeology, completing her MS in Environmental Archaeology and Paleoeconomy from The University of Sheffield in 2016. In 2017 she joined the Joshua’s Trust team serving as our part-time bookkeeper as she now pursues her Masters in Accounting

Development Administrator

Erin McMahon

Erin grew up in Coventry and moved to Tolland after graduating from UConn in 2016. Over the past few years, Erin has found her passion engaging with the community on topics related to nutrition, food and farming and environmental conservation. They’re all connected! She hopes that her experiences with event management, fundraising and grant writing will enable Joshua’s Trust to continue to preserve the beauty of Northeastern CT for many years to come.

Royce

A retired Fidelco guide dog, Royce enjoys coming to work with Mike and making sure everyone is keeping up with their tasks by camping out behind their chairs. While he has a big bark that will greet you at the door, he's a gentle dog just looking for someone to distract long enough to pet him.

Paddy

Paddy is a Fidelco breed dog that gets to spend most of her time with Mike and Royce. She enjoys taking note of everything that is going on in and around the office and is often looking for her ball.

Thank you to our Sponsors!

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